The problems of an aging lawnmower overcome

I bought a Craftsman lawnmower, a 6.0 self propelled one, my first venture into self propelled. It's really been a good mower, but this year I've had it to the repair shop several times. Once at the beginning of the year for a tune up and blade sharpening and the next two times, it's been the transmission. The belt keeps slipping off, and once broke.

Last evening it happened again as I was mowing the high grass around the new house. It looks so much better now that it's been mowed. It looks as if it had a lawn. It's just an illusion. The high grass is sparce and there's lots of bare ground showing, but the mowed grass will help create a mulch for seeds to germinate. But the mower stopped and at that point I started considering a new mower.

I decided after reading up on mowers and looking at comsumer reports to find the best buy. So many choices! And lots of new features from electric start(tempting) to rear wheel drive(more traction) to self cleaning blade(not really so good--you have to hook up a hose to do the job). There was one feature I like which was the ability to remove the grass bag with the mower running because the wheel stop independently. It also means you can pick up a large rock or stick and remove it before runninng it over without having to start the engine again. All these new features cost of course and noticed that a lot of mowers were not carb compliant enough for Californa.

A friend came by and showed me how to put the belt back on the wheel which is simple enough to do. There were only three screws to undo the cover. But I decided on the replacement mower. This Husqvarna seems to have all the features I want.

At Husqvarna HU800HW (22") 160cc Honda Self-Propelled Lawn Mower

August 3, 2011

The problems of an aging lawnmower overcome